Content fidelity note: This chapter refers to sexual abuse experienced by the twins during childhood and to their later use of youthful disguises. The English preserves the circumstances and consequences without reproducing the original’s graphic details.
The twins had known that Xu Ziqing was dense in matters of romance. They had never imagined he would be quite this oblivious. All their carefully calculated efforts had been wasted on someone who did not even notice what they were attempting.
They stared at one another, then exchanged wry smiles.
Over the years, they had encountered innumerable immortal and demonic cultivators. Usually the smallest gesture was enough to attract anyone they chose. Those who resisted had generally sensed that something was wrong; few could genuinely withstand their influence unless their cultivation surpassed the twins’.
But Xu Ziqing had never even considered their intentions. There was plainly not a trace of such desire toward them in his heart.
After so many years of doing as they pleased, the brothers seldom cared about human affection. Yet receiving such sincere, unselfish kindness was unexpectedly rare.
In truth, the twins were nowhere near as young as they appeared.
Several thousand years earlier, Jin Cheng and Jin Shi had been sons of a family in a small mortal world. Both were intelligent children. Under their father’s guidance, they studied diligently, hoping that when they were old enough, they could pass the imperial examinations and serve at court alongside their father and elder brothers.
But when they were thirteen and traveling to the capital for the examinations, an Ascending Dragon Gate opened for the first time in a thousand years. A fierce gale swept them through it into this great world.
The gate had been unusually well concealed, and the astral wind within was a hundred times weaker than that of an ordinary Ascending Dragon Gate. As a result, the dazed boys suffered only superficial cuts and scrapes.
Yet their survival was not the blessing it first seemed.
Whisked away by that strange wind, the brothers were naturally terrified. Whenever they saw a cultivator’s supernatural techniques, their fear grew.
Because of their fine appearance, they soon attracted the attention of demonic cultivators.
Xu Ziqing’s assumptions about the ordeal they had supposedly endured were not entirely mistaken. Their present helplessness was an act, but they had truly suffered such harm in the distant past.
Back then, a demonic cultivator abducted them to his mountain residence, where he sexually abused them and used them as cultivation cauldrons to drain their vital essence.
Neither had begun cultivating; their primordial yang remained intact, and both possessed innate dual spiritual roots. Their captor considered them exceptionally valuable cultivation cauldrons.
Ordinarily, both would have died. But perhaps fate had other plans: their unusual constitutions reversed the essence-draining technique, causing the captor’s essence to flow into them until he was completely depleted.
Terrified afterward, the brothers somehow managed to bring the foreign power within them under control. By reading the cultivator’s abandoned manuals, they learned that he had formed a Golden Core while they had never cultivated at all. Yet the power they had taken from him had already driven both of them to Foundation Establishment.
What made that astonishing reversal possible was their innate constitution.
The Taotie Luanfeng Physique.
It was a dangerous constitution associated with ravenous appetites and compulsive sexual desire. When someone maliciously attempted to drain its bearer through sexual cultivation, the technique would rebound upon the aggressor. Had the twins never been violated, the compulsion might have remained dormant; once awakened, however, it became extremely difficult to suppress.
Before this, the brothers had been upright, well-bred children. Learning what their constitution meant for their future shook them to the core.
They remained within the mountain residence and struggled to cultivate. Eventually they discovered that only upon forming Nascent Souls could they fully govern the impulses of their bodies.
Until they reached Nascent Soul, the constitution compelled them to have sexual relations to survive. After years of that life, how could their characters remain unchanged?
The longer they continued, the worse their reputations became, and the farther their dispositions drifted from those of the earnest children they had once been.
At last, after years of wandering and hiding, they became Nascent Soul ancestors. Their constitutions could now be controlled, but their habits and personalities had already changed beyond recognition.
Even when they no longer needed to have sexual relations so frequently, they had become accustomed to them.
Before long, they would seek out skilled sexual partners for their own pleasure.
Yet their lives had become profoundly tedious.
The brothers took to disguising themselves, deceiving strangers, and staging encounters for entertainment, caring little about their targets’ cultivation levels as long as they enjoyed themselves.
When bored, they would return to cultivation. But the Taotie Luanfeng Physique’s ability to absorb cultivation from others also imposed strict limits. The brothers had advanced easily to Nascent Soul through their unusual endowment, but they were among the weakest of the ancestors, and would likely remain at Nascent Soul for their entire lives.
Still, Nascent Soul ancestors were formidable enough. The brothers spent their days wandering in disguise, and after another thousand years, almost everyone had forgotten them.
Their names faded from both the immortal and demonic paths.
This time, the brothers had gone to the Taigu Desert on a whim after hearing that the place was notorious for sexual exploitation. They wanted to test the demonic cultivators’ methods for themselves.
They posed as sheltered, inexperienced young boys and deliberately allowed the demonic cultivators to abduct them.
Their appearance and apparent cultivation resembled what they had been thousands of years earlier. Yet just as the twins were enjoying their game in the den, two immortal-path cultivators arrived to eliminate its demonic cultivators and spoiled everything.
The twins then pretended to be innocent captives, accepted the green-robed junior brother’s protection, and left with the two martial brothers.
As they traveled, the twins noticed the relationship between their rescuers and grew curious. They mocked their awkwardness while wondering whether the seemingly more emotionally vulnerable junior brother could be tempted into changing his affections.
But when the moment came, he did not consider their insinuations at all. Instead, his unquestioning kindness stirred memories of their own past, leaving them unusually conflicted.
What if, all those years ago, they had met an immortal cultivator like Xu Ziqing instead of the one who harmed them? Perhaps they could have entered a respectable sect and never suffered so greatly because of their constitution.
But what use was such a thought now? They had already become Nascent Soul ancestors before someone finally treated them this way.
Countless feelings arose, but their minds were strong. They soon restrained themselves.
It was too late.
They had become notorious demonic cultivators dependent on sexual pleasure, far removed from the upright children they had once been.
Their father and elder brothers had died long ago. Even if descendants remained, how could the twins face them in their present state?
Better that the family’s records should consider them dead rather than have their conduct tarnish their relatives’ honorable reputation.
After recalling the past, Jin Cheng and Jin Shi lost their appetite for further games. They abandoned their attempt to entice Xu Ziqing.
The blankets were warm. The two decided simply to behave as the frightened young Foundation Establishment cultivators they appeared to be, closing their eyes and resting.
Xu Ziqing knew nothing of the thoughts passing through their minds.
He sincerely believed they were terrified and remained beside them all night, conscientiously keeping watch.
Poor children, he thought. They had suffered so much at such a young age.
The night passed without incident. The following morning, Xu Ziqing opened his eyes and saw that the twins were still in bed. After a glance, he realized something.
They had been wearing poorly fitting clothes ever since leaving the den. He had been so preoccupied that he had not paid proper attention. Now he felt apologetic.
He went outside and instructed a waiter to bring two suitable sets of clothing.
The twins changed quickly. Xu Ziqing noticed that they seemed friendlier toward him now, and they finally gave him their names.
He smiled gently. “Little Brother Jin Cheng, Little Brother Jin Shi.”
They still looked timid, but a little childlike liveliness had returned to their faces. “Senior, please just call us by our names.”
Seeing them relax, Xu Ziqing felt reassured.
After they had spoken briefly, Yun Lie entered from outside.
The door was open, but his arrival brought a wave of cold that made the atmosphere solemn.
Xu Ziqing took no notice of the change and greeted him cheerfully. “Senior Brother, did you rest well last night?”
Yun Lie nodded. “Well enough.” After a pause, he asked, “And you?”
Xu Ziqing blinked, then smiled more warmly. “I also rested very well.”
Their harmonious exchange made the twins pull faces again.
Jin Cheng was about to send a voice transmission.
Jin Shi tugged his arm instead, and the two met each other’s eyes.
They understood immediately.
Although Yun Lie was only at middle Golden Core, he had overcome two half-step Nascent Soul cultivators. His Sword Dao attainments were extraordinary and could not be compared with those of ordinary people.
If the brothers wished to maintain their disguise, they had to remain cautious whenever Yun Lie was near. Yesterday, when hidden to the side, they had dared use voice transmission. Now that he stood before them, they should not risk it.
After all four ate, Yun Lie instructed the twins to remain in the room. He arranged sword intent around them for protection.
Xu Ziqing followed his senior brother back onto the long shopping street.
Yun Lie said nothing, and Xu Ziqing did not ask questions. They stopped only before a particularly impressive building.
Looking up, Xu Ziqing read the signboard: “Dragon Travel Trading Company.”
It was another branch of the great trading house whose business extended across several regions.
Had his senior brother brought him here to buy something?
Yun Lie did not explain. He went inside and proceeded to the right.
Seeing how confidently Yun Lie moved through the building, Xu Ziqing became more curious.
After a few steps, Yun Lie entered a side chamber. It was smaller than the main hall but covered with dense runes across walls and floor. Anyone foolish enough to attack another person here would probably trigger the formations immediately.
Yun Lie took out a token and tossed it aside. A dark opening appeared in front of them. He caught Xu Ziqing’s hand and stepped through.
Darkness fell before Xu Ziqing’s eyes and immediately gave way to light.
The opening led to a secret room.
An elderly man with a long drooping beard sat leisurely behind a desk. Several storage treasures lay before him, including rings, bracelets, and bags.
At the sight of Yun Lie, his eyes lit up and he smiled broadly. “Perfected Slaughter Sword! What an honor. I haven’t yet congratulated you on your tremendous advancement.”
Yun Lie did not waste words. He simply placed a storage bag on the desk.
Accustomed to his manner, the elder immediately examined the contents with spiritual sense. Surprise appeared in his eyes. “Perfected One, you’ve had quite a harvest.”
“Name the value in spirit stones,” Yun Lie said.
Stroking his beard, the elder pondered for a while. “There are a great many demonic artifacts, though some are damaged. Five hundred and twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones. That’s a fair price.”
Yun Lie nodded.
“There are also two demonic treasures. Their power falls below that of comparable treasures, so ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones each.”
Yun Lie agreed again.
At this point, Xu Ziqing understood.
His senior brother must have traded many of the demonic artifacts he confiscated during earlier travels with this elder. They were old acquaintances.
The elder was delighted by Yun Lie’s straightforwardness. He handed over a storage ring packed with spirit stones.
After putting away the demonic artifacts and treasures, he asked casually, “Does Perfected One have any other business today, or will you be on your way?”
In the past, Yun Lie seldom requested anything more. This time he said, “Come with me.”
The old man blinked and asked tentatively, “A major transaction, perhaps?”
Yun Lie said, “I’m going to get married.”